“There is a finite number of freshman spots available and high score subject tests will give an advantage over another applicant without them.”
That’s assuming all colleges place as much value on test scores as folks on CC like to think they do. They could have easily required them or even used the word “recommended” if that was their preference. We know a lot of schools don’t weight test scores as high as other factors. Both Davidson and W&L categorize test scores as “important” not “very important” on their CDS.
I think there is a bias on CC to think that you’ve got to try to maximize it all on your application to get into selective schools. I’m not convinced admissions decisions are always made that way. I think it leads to an admissions process arms race and unnecessary stress.